WRANGELL'S JOURNEYS IN 1823— VON AXJOU. Ill 



Cape Chelagskoi on the 8th. Here the first Tchutski were met, who 

 told them the native name for the cape was Erri, and the name of 

 Cape North Ir-kai pi, and " that between these capes, from the top 

 of some cliffs near the mouth of the river, one might, in a clear 

 summer's day, descry snow-covered mountains at a great distance to 

 the north, but that in winter it was impossible to see so far." (This 

 is the first notice of the land afterwards discovered by Capt. Kellett, 

 in the Herald.) He had been told by his father that a Tchutski had 

 once gone there in a ' baidar,' and he thought the northern land was 

 inhabited. 



On the 10th the journey was continued; several large heaps of 

 whalebone were seen, but very little drift-wood ; on arrival at 

 Schalarov Island (which is called Amgaoton by the natives) an 

 attempt was made to go to the north, but on the 21st, in lat. 70° 20' 

 N. and long. 174° 13' e., they were compelled to return, "the hum- 

 mocks now becoming absolutely and entirely impassable," and a 

 break in the ice was fallen in with, extending east and west 

 farther than the eye could reach and 150 fathoms across at its 

 narrowest part. The current was running 1^ knot to the eastward, 

 depth of water 221 fathoms, in lat. 70° 51', long. 175° 27' E. " Frag- 

 ments of ice of enormous size were thrown by the waves with awful 

 violence against the edge of the ice-field." The coast to the eastward 

 was then followed, and habitations of the Tchutski as well as drift- 

 wood found, "which, in all probability, is of American origin; 

 eventually Cape North was reached on April 11th. 



The shores of the Bay of Anadyr are inhabited by a people 

 distinct from the Tchutski in figure, countenance, clothing, and 

 language, called Onkilon or Sea People ; there are traditions that 

 two centuries ago the Onkilon occupied the whole coast from Cape 

 Chelagskoi to Behring Strait. "Whales are particularly abundant 

 in the neighbourhood of Koliutchen Island. 



On May 1st Cape Chelagskoi was reached, and Baron 

 "Wrangell returned to Niznei Kolymsk, after an absence of 78 

 days, having accomplished a distance of 1327 miles, or 17 miles per 

 diem. 



M. Von Anjou took his departure from the north-west end of 

 Kotelnoi (the west island of New Siberia), on April 5th ; at a short 

 distance from the shore it was found necessary to open a path 

 through the ice hummocks by crowbars; at 20 miles from the 

 island they had 15 fathoms mud; in lat. 76° 38' n. they found 17 

 fathoms, and " the near vicinity of the open sea forbid further pro- 

 gress." They then crossed over to Fadejevskoi Island, from whence 

 "dense vapours" are seen, indicating the vicinity of the open sea. 



